


Behind the Wisteria Grove

by orphan_account



Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-07-27
Updated: 2010-07-27
Packaged: 2017-10-10 20:03:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/103746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snippets from the life of Fujita Tsutomu, son of Saitou Hajime. Not meant to be read in a linear manner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the Shishio Makoto affair, Fujita Tsutomu awaits his father's homecoming.

_The crimson sheen of the full moon chilling his heart._

A man, bruised and bloody, staggering towards the the house.

His rasping breath, his beating heart echoing loudly in his ears.

The agonied gasp of a woman, rushing towards the beaten form.

The soft cry of his mother...

I wake up with a gasp.

This is the third time this week that I woke up to the same dream. And everytime I wake up, I couldn't go back to sleep, and as my body is still growing, the strain is starting to show. It is driving me crazy!

Mother is worrying about me, I can tell. I see it in her eyes - the concern she feels towards her firstborn, the care and love that never ceases to shine from her eyes.

No matter how much I assure her that everything is all right, she gives me _that_ Look, the one that says "yes, and your father does not teach you kenjutsu".

It's annoying to have a mother like her at times.

Carefully sitting up on my futon, taking care not to wake my brothers and Eiji-kun up, I stand up, make my way towards the shoji and slide it open.

Suddenly, my hand twitches and I have the indescribable urge to bring my shinai outside with me.

So I turn back, grab the bamboo weapon and walk silently outside, taking care to slide the door shut.

Feeling restless, I walk around the perimeter of the house, barefooted. My blood tingles, my muscles tense as anticipation sings within my veins. Nature seems to agree with me since I could feel a certain..._expectation_ permeating the air, as if waiting for something to happen. Or someone to arrive.

I frown as I finish my circuit; nothing seems amiss. My nerves must be getting to me. There is no reason to believe that anything bad can happen tonight. We're safe. All of us are safe.

I breathe in deeply, trying to calm myself and attempting to enjoy the relative coolness of the evening. It is already summer, and though it isn't very hot, I miss the chill of winter. I much prefer the sharpness of the cold to scorching heat, something that amuses Mother to no end.

Apparently, Father and I share the same sentiments.

I sigh as my thoughts shift to Father. His demeanor when he left for Kyoto almost two months ago was...frightening. Not because it was as if he was walking towards a certain doom; no, not that. It was almost like as if he was going on a hunt.

Like a wolf closing in on its prey.

I harbor no delusions about my father. I am thirteen years old. I can still recall certain events from my earliest years and have gathered enough facts over the years to sketch a hazy picture of Father during the Bakamatsu.

I know he was once part of the Shinsengumi - of that I have no doubt - but I do not know exactly what he did during those times. And I hesitate to ask him what he used to do. That is Father's past and his past alone. I don't want to disrupt the peace within him, not during these peaceful times.

A steady gait on the street outside distracts me from my thoughts and I frown. It is unusual to hear such sounds at night - we live in a relatively secure neighborhood and the police do not pass through our street.

Gripping the shinai with both hands tightly, I walk as silently as I could towards our gate. Father entrusted the safety of the inhabitants of this house to me and I am not about to betray that trust.

I hear the footsteps more clearly now as the person walking down the street nears the house. My body tenses up as I pose a defensive position.

The wind suddenly blows, ruffling my hair, the air moving towards me, and I freeze. I can smell the unmistakeable scent of cigarettes...

Father?

The gate opens and Father's piercing amber eyes close in on me. He raises an eyebrow, looking as if arriving home late is normal for him.

I sheepishly lowered my shinai. "Ah...eh...welcome back, Father," I mumble, looking down at my feet, feeling foolish.

I could practically feel Father's eyebrow rise higher. "Tsutomu-kun, what are you doing up so late?" he asks as he walks towards the house.

I follow him. "I couldn't sleep," I respond.

"Ah. So the reason why I was mistaken for an intruder of my own house is because my son is an insomniac," he says wryly, turning to me.

"Er..." I start to feel tendrils of heat spreading up from my neck.

"Hajime?" I have never thought that the voice of my mother could make me feel this much relief. She walks towards Father and kisses him briefly on the cheek before looking at me. "Tsutomu-chan? Why aren't you in bed?" she asks concernedly.

I mentally sigh. Mother is the only one who could get away with calling me 'Tsutomu-chan'. "I couldn't sleep," I answer her query.

"Then why are you holding your shinai?" Her eyebrow raises. Father's habits must have rubbed off mother.

"I was practicing my kata," I quickly lie, briefly glancing at Father.

"Hn," he smirks. He undoubtedly knows I am lying, but apparently, he is going to let me off the hook. This time.

"Go back to bed, Tsutomu-chan," Mother commands, leaving Father's side to gently push me towards our room.

"Fine..." I grumble, carefully rolling my eyes behind her back. I really hate it whenever she calls me that!

Father shoots me an amused look and says, "Good night, Tsutomu-kun."

"Good night, Father," I respond, sliding the shoji shut.

"Come, _teishu_, I'll make you some tea..." I hear Mother's voice say. I can almost imagine her leading Father by the arm to the kitchen.

I smile softly as I lay back on my futon. The unease I felt earlier is now gone.

Father is back.

Slumber claims me quickly as I close my eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regarding Tsutomu's Age: I am aware that the historical Fujita Tsutomu was born on 1876. However, for the purposes of this series, I changed his age. My version of Tsutomu was born on 1866.


	2. Jealousy: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little Tsuyoshi is born and five-year-old Tsutomu isn't very happy about it.

**PART ONE**

Tsutomu's mother was well into the third trimester of her pregnancy, and the scampering, active boy that is Tsutomu was becoming quite a handful for the young woman. Her husband, in a fit of desperation - figuratively, of course: Saitou Hajime (who is currently going as Ichinohe Denpachi) isn't known for throwing fits - asked her younger sister, Takagi Tami, to reside with them for a bit as he is quite busy teaching kendo at the local university. Though Hajime sometimes brings his firstborn with him, he couldn't afford to have a child distracting the students with shorter attention spans. Kenjutsu isn't something to take lightly after all.

However, with the constant '_shoo_-ing' he received from Tami whenever the lonely five-year-old tried to cuddle up next to his mother, Tsutomu developed a dislike for his aunt and only followed her orders and requests in the presence of either Father or Mother.

All in all, the Ichinohe1 household isn't the most relaxing place to be at this moment.

Tsutomu pouts and glares an amber-eyed glare at the wall, refusing to acknowledge his companion.

_It isn't fair!_ he thinks grumpily. _Why am I supposed to be with **her**? I don't even **like** Auntie Tami! How come I'm not with Father? I want to go to the university with him!_

Tsutomu transfers his glare to his companion on the porch, who happens to be Auntie Tami, and continues his mental tirade. _Auntie Tami is bad! She doesn't let me near Mother! How will I know if Mother is all right if I doesn't see her? Bad, bad, bad Auntie Tami!_

He notices his Auntie Tami looking at him and that aggravates the temper of the already-annoyed boy. Tsutomu is about to say something to her - _"Stop staring at me! It's very impolite!"_ \- but the words die on his lips when he hears Mother's voice through the rice paper walls, calling for Auntie Tami urgently.

_Auntie Tami looks worried!_ Tsutomu realizes when his aunt scurries quickly out of the room. Seizing the chance to check in on Mother, he follows Auntie Tami towards Mother's room and quickly jumps out of the way when Auntie Tami goes out of the room and races past him.

Furrowing his still-babyish eyebrows together, Tsutomu quietly enters Mother's room, and, seeing Mother's smile of invitation, kneels beside her, looking her over. Aside from sweat on her forehead, Mother looks fine to Tsutomu. He narrows his eyes and wonders why Auntie Tami acted oddly.

He suddenly realizes what his aunt did. "Why is Auntie Tami running around the house, Mother?" the five-year-old asks indignantly. "Running is not allowed in the house while **_my_** little brother or sister is still inside you - Father said so! **_I_** follow Father's rules! Why isn't Auntie Tami following them too? Bad, bad, bad Auntie Tami!" he declares, raising his chin.

Mother frowns disapprovingly at him. "No, Tsutomu-chan," she scolds gently, "Auntie Tami is not bad."

Tsutomu also frowns. "But Auntie Tami does not follow Father's rules! So Auntie Tami bad!" he says with the conviction of somebody who knows he is right.

"Tsutomu-chan, Auntie Tami ran inside the house because Mother felt that your little brother or sister is starting to go out. She went to send a message to Father and to fetch the midwife. If Auntie Tami does not hurry, then Mother will have to give birth to your new brother or sister by herself. Does Tsutomu-chan want Mother to be alone when she is giving birth?"

"But you wouldn't be alone! I'll be with you!" he protests, childish pride offended.

"Yes, you could help," Mother agrees. "But have you witnessed a woman giving birth before?"

"No," the child sulkily admitted.

"Then does Tsutomu-chan see that it's okay for Auntie Tami to run inside the house if Mother is giving birth?"

"Yes," Tsutomu sighs, pouting.

"Father," the little boy whimpers, "why aren't you going to Mother? Mother's hurt! Auntie Tami and the ugly hag are hurting Mother! **WHY AREN'T YOU STOPPING THEM?**" Tsutomu buries his face into his father's chest.

Saitou Hajime mentally snorts at his son's apt description of the midwife Tami fetched. _Hag indeed..._ He sighs - it wouldn't do to have his son insulting people at such a young age. Maybe he'd allow it when Tsutomu is old enough to learn the subtle art of sarcasm. "Tsutomu-kun, your Aunt and the **_midwife_**," - he stressed - "aren't hurting your mother. They are merely helping her go along the process."

"But why is Mother hurting? Hurting is bad! Why aren't you stopping the hurt?" The child looks up beseechingly at his father.

Hajime sighs again. He absolutely **_hates_** it whenever Tsutomu looks at him with tear-filled eyes. It distinctly reminds him of his sister who used that tactic to convince the young men in their neighborhood to do something for her - especially if it involves something "unfeminine". Hajime knows that that is the only way his son could convey his earnestness, but that doesn't mean he'd have to like it. (Tsutomu inherited it from Tokio's side of the family, he is sure of that.) Maybe he'd convince Tsutomu that having tear-filled eyes is "girly".

After the boy dries his eyes, of course.

"I'm not 'stopping the hurt' because they wouldn't let me in," Hajime says tersely. Tsutomu isn't the only one affected by the screams, after all.

Tsutomu thinks for a while and brightens. He points at his father's katana. "You could use your sword! Cut Auntie Tami and the ugly hag so you could get to Mother!" he eagerly suggests before furrowing his brows together. "Or maybe you could stab them instead," the boy amends as he remembers that his father's preferred technique is a left-handed thrust.

Hajime swallows down his chuckle - the boy is already bloody-minded at the tender age of five years! However, it would not do to encourage such thoughts. Tokio will be furious, and Hajime likes the way he looks, thank you very much. Besides, annoying sisters-in-law and visually unappealing women are _not_ as high on the 'Aku Soku Zan' scale as unscrupulous politicians and scandalous heathens.

"Tsutomu-kun, the way of the samurai does not involve killing unwanted aunts and _unattractive_ midwives. A man who has no self-control is a danger to himself and to those around him - and he who could not control himself is not worthy to be called samurai. Always remember that." The former leader of the Third Squad and Assistant Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi gives his son a level stare.

Tsutomu nods his head furiously, abashed. No, he would not suggest that his father kill those two women who are keeping him away from his mother nor would he do it himself. He sighs ruefully. He'd just have to envision it, then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 After the Battle of Aizu, Saitou Hajime moved to the Aomori Prefecture (the northernmost prefecture in Honshu) and called himself Ichinohe Denpachi.


	3. Jealousy: Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little Tsuyoshi is born and five-year-old Tsutomu isn't very happy about it.

**PART TWO**

Tsuyoshi is born on the summer of the third year of Meiji[1].

Needless to say, his elder brother, Tsutomu, isn't very happy about it.

* * *

Tsuyoshi is now nine months old, and, in that span of time, Tsutomu's initial annoyance at the little thing turned into burning jealousy. He'd never show it in front of the adults, of course - Tsutomu doesn't want to be seen as a spoiled child ever since he heard Father complaining about a student who has connections to the government - but, in the solitude of his own thoughts, Tsutomu would think about the good old days when _**he**_ was the only child in the house: the only one Mother would cuddle next to, the only one Father would teach kenjutsu. True, his brother couldn't even **_hold_** a _shinai_ much less use it, but that isn't the point...

  
_No fair, no fair, no fair, no fair, **no FAIR**!_ Tsutomu chants angrily as he swings down the shorter-than-usual-_shinai_ he is holding with far too much force than necessary.The boy is currently practicing with his modified bamboo weapon alongside boys a year or two older than him. He and the rest of the class are inside the university's dojo; they are the youngest students enrolled.

"Tsutomu!" A voice breaks Tsutomu's thoughts and he stops his wild swinging. He turns and looks at his father's scowling visage. "Focus!" Father barks before paying attention to the rest of the class.

Tsutomu slumps his shoulders with shame. Not only did he lose focus, Father noticed it and scolded him!

A hot, raging flame of pure anger suddenly permeates the boy's being. _It's all **Tsuyoshi's** fault!If it weren't for him, Father wouldn't be angry at me!_

"Tsutomu-kun." Tsutomu's angry quickly drains away as Father comes close to him. It wouldn't do to make Father more irritated at him. "Why did you lose your focus?" Tsutomu can feel amber eyes drilling holes into his head. He gulped.

"I...I was... er, I mean-" he stammers. Father's eyes narrows even more, if that is possible.

"You should learn how to control yourself, Tsutomu," Father says quietly before walking towards a struggling student.

_It's all **his** fault!_ Tsutomu fumes before pushing his anger away. He places himself in position and proceeds to swing his _shinai_ down determinedly. No, he will **_not_** distract himself with thoughts of that annoying little thing.

Until he gets home, that is.

* * *

_I **still** don't like Auntie Tami, but at least she cooks good!_ thinks Tsutomu as he pats his belly while releasing a satisfied sigh. _Her tepanyaki is the **best**!_

"No, no, Tokio-nee!" Auntie Tami exclaims as Mother starts to clear the table. "I'll clean up! You go on and take Yoshi-chan away from his father before Saitou-san's arm cramps up!"

"Hn," grunts Father as he hands the little thing to Mother. Tsutomu rolls his eyes. _Auntie Tami doesn't know anything,_ he decides.

"Tsutomu-chan!" Mother murmurs to him as she passes his seated figure to go to the door, "behave."

"Yes, Mother." Tsutomu sighs and stands up. He slides open the _shoji_ for his mother and before going through it himself.

He sits down beside his parents on the porch; him looking up at the stars and Mother and Father quietly talking to each other with Tsuyoshi between them, suckling on his mother's breasts. Tsutomu doesn't want this moment to end and he sighs with pure bliss.

"Could you watch Yoshi-chan for me, Tsu-chan?" Mother suddenly says in a quiet voice. Tsutomu sits up, eyes portraying pure panic as he shoots Father a silent, desperate plea for salvation.

Father merely raises an eyebrow - apparently, has no desire to rescue Tsutomu tonight. "Yes, Mother," Tsutomu responds, his mind racing, futilely thinking of ways to escape the given task.

Mother hands Tsutomu his brother, stands up and walks to the kitchen, tabi-clad feet thumping rhythmically on the wooden floor.

He turns to Father frantically. "Father, I don't know how to take care of a baby!" he quietly exclaims, awkwardly holding Tsuyoshi by the armpits.

"You'll figure it out," says Father before going into his and Mother's bedroom, the _shoji_ closing with a soft 'thump'.

Tsutomu angrily stares at Tsuyoshi. Tsuyoshi gazes innocently back. After a few moments of nobody moving a muscle, Tsuyoshi suddenly grins a six-toothed grin and drools all over his big brother's hand.

"Ick!" squeaks Tsutomu, "baby-drool!" He awkwardly let Tsuyoshi stand, holding on to the baby with one hand for balance, while wiping his other one on his _hakama_.

Tsuyoshi suddenly starts patting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Bah, bah, bah, bah, _bah_, _bah_, _**BAAH**_!" he shrieks happily, his other hand pulling at Tsutomu's hair[2].

"Ouch! Stop that! No - Tsuyoshi! Stop pulling my hair!" Tsutomu yells half-wildly, trying to get rid of the terror while at the same time trying not to let the same terror fall.

Mother and Auntie Tami suddenly arrive. "Yoshi-chan," says Mother, extracting Tsutomu's hair from the tightly-fisted hand of the infant, "don't pull Tsu-nii's hair!"

"Yeah, you monster, stop pulling my hair!" Tsutomu winces in pain as both women try to salvage his hair.

When the baby is _finally_ extracted from his brother, he suddenly lunges at Tsutomu. "Bah, bah, bah!" he yells.

"Oh my!" Auntie Tami murmurs to Tsutomu, "it seems like Yoshi-chan likes your hair."

Tsutomu blinks owlishly at his aunt. "He likes my hair?" he says incredulously. "Is that because he has only a little bit?"

"**BAH!**"

"I think you should take that as a yes, Tsu-chan," says Mother. Tsutomu sighs and groans loudly.

"Bah!" Tsuyoshi continues, ignoring the others. "Bah! Bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, **BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!**" he shrieks, almost disloging himself from his mother, trying to dive at his brother whose hair fascinated him.

The nearest _shoji_ suddenly opens with a 'BANG'. "For God's sake, Tokio, just go inside and feed the baby! Tsutomu, go to your bedroom and sleep! Tami, do whatever you have to do! Just keep it down!" Father glares at them until all three he addressed acknowledge his orders.

Tsutomu walks towards his room, Auntie Tami in tow. "Good night, Tsutomu-chan," she murmurs before heading off to the bathhouse to bathe.

After entering the room, Tsutomu starts to dress into his sleeping _yukata_. While dressing, he thinks about the strange happenings after dinner. First of all, Mother gave him the little thing. Second, the little thing liked his hair. Third and lastly, Father **_shouted_** at them. Father **_never_** shouts! He says mean things, but never did Tsutomu, in all his five years of existence, hear his father actually raise his voice.

_But what about **those** men,_ a little voice whispers into Tsutomu's ear, _those men in the big house who lived with us? Father used to..._

"Stop it!" whispers Tsutomu, pulling at the ties of his _yukata_ savagely. "That's only a dream! Just a dream..."

_It isn't a dream, and you know it!_ the voice insists. _Those men were **real**! And what Father did -_

"Father did **_nothing_**!" he hisses and unravels his _futon_. "Nothing! You hear me? Father did **_NOTHING_**!"

Lying down, Tsutomu pulls the blanket over his body and tries to push disturbing thoughts out of his mind. He focuses instead on his brother.

"Hn, if that little thing pulls at my hair more, I couldn't wear it in a topknot," he murmurs as he shifts into a more comfortable position. Tsuyoshi might like torturing his big brother, but he _does_ have a rather charming smile...

_Hmph. Just because that little thing's small teeth are adorable doesn't mean I like him,_ Tsutomu thinks sleepily. _He made Mother ignore me and Father angry at me..._

The little voice in his head snickered as he thought that, but he ignores it and focuses on sleeping. He closes his eyes.

Tsutomu sleeps and dreams of a group of men, each one wearing a light-blue _haori_, calling his father 'Captain'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 1870


	4. Orphan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mishima Eiji arrives at the Fujita household.

Stepping inside the gate of his house, Tsutomu couldn't help but feel that there was someone - or there would be someone - that would change his life forever.

It wasn't a nice feeling at all, and all he wanted to do was to turn around and go back outside where he could avoid the sensation until it went away. Unfortunately for him, though, his two younger brothers both entered behind him without Tsutomu's noticing. And it wouldn't do to perturb them if it really wasn't necessary.

Besides, Tsuyoshi would never let him live it down.

And so the eldest of the Fujita brothers walked towards their house as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Tsutomu-chan? Have you and your brothers gotten home unscathed?" The voice of Mother cut through the thoughts of the boy in question.

Tsutomu rolled his eyes. _Why does she insist on calling me that?_ he asked himself before answering, "Yes, Mother!"

"Yes, Mother!" Tatsuo echoed cheerfully as he enthusiastically left his _zori_ behind on the porch. Tsutomu saw Tsuyoshi roll his eyes from his peripheral vision and he supressed a grin himself. He and 'Yoshi followed their brother at a more sedate pace.

The three boys hurriedly washed up and quickly went into the dining room.

They found their mother placidly preparing a snack for them; she _always_ has sweets ready to be eaten at any given time. Tsutomu couldn't remember exactly when Mother forgot to do this chore - was it around the time Tatsuo was born? - it seemed to be a long time ago to him.

"_Itadakimasu!_" Tsutomu, Tsuyoshi and Tatsuo chorused before eagerly digging in, Mother's calm way of drinking her tea bringing a semblance of peace to counter the constant bickering of the brothers.

* * *

"Good afternoon! Is Fujita Tokio there? Excuse me - I'm looking for Fujita Tokio!" a voice called out from outside the gate.

"Oh, my..." Mother murmured as she stood up. Tsutomu and Tsuyoshi shared a concerned glance; both of them had seen Mother look like this only a few times in their lives: when Father was injured. Badly. Tatsuo, thankfully, didn't notice his brothers' stricken expressions as he slowly chewed his food, looking after their mother with a thoughtful look.

(Thinking about the events later, Tsutomu rather thought that the look on his youngest brother's eyes seemed to be entirely out of place with his youthful face.)

The three brothers looked at each other for a moment before all of them stood up and followed their mother.

She was speaking in low tones with a man outside, holding a sheet of paper, her face lined with incredulity. The man nodded firmly, as if to say, "yes, ma'am, I am sure that I did not hit my head on the way here". Mother blinked very hard for a few moments before nodding in aquiescence.

Tsutomu looked at Tsuyoshi and Tatsuo, wondering if they noticed that their mother was acting strangely. Noticing that they too were wearing befuddled looks, he reached that conclusion that, yes, their mother who was standing at their gate was definitely _not_ the usually calm woman that they knew and loved.

The man nodded back, bowed, murmured something to someone outside the brothers' line of vision, and left - alone, Tsutomu noticed. Mother then beckoned to whoever the man spoke to before leaving and walked towards her sons. A boy who looked out of place in the immaculate front yard with his weather-roughened face and slightly scruffy clothes followed her.

The other boys stared at him in stupefaction.

* * *

Mishima Eiji stared back at the three boys. _Well,_ he thought, _they must be the sons Fujita-san was talking about. He told me his first-born is the one with black hair. So the one on the farthest to my right should be the eldest - what was his name? Oh, yes, Tsutomu. The next brother is...Tsuyoshi? And the youngest is Tatsuo. Hmph. He looks scrawny._

Eiji stepped up slightly behind to the left of Fujita-san's wife. _She seems nice enough,_ he decided.

"Boys," she said, "this is Mishima Eiji. Eiji-kun, these are my sons. Tsutomu is the eldest," - she gestured to the black-haired boy with amber eyes - "Tsuyoshi is the second-born," - Tsuyoshi actually _waved_ at _him_! - "and Tatsuo is the youngest," she finished. Tatsuo smiled at him shyly. He smiled back hesitantly.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, staying here. At least there weren't any girls.

* * *

Tsutomu was now eyeing this "Mishima Eiji" curiously. Why was he here? Tsutomu glanced at Tsuyoshi and got a half-shrug in reply. Oh, well. They would soon find out.

"Boys," Mother said, "Eiji-kun would be staying with us from now on." As one, the Fujita brothers' jaws hung open, looking back and forth between their mother and the boy. "Eiji-kun's brother is one of Father's men, but unfortunately, he and their parents died. Since he doesn't have any living relatives left, your father decided to take him in." Tsutomu blinked in understanding, Tsuyoshi nodded in aquiescence and Tatsuo smiled sympathetically at Eiji. Mother raised an eyebrow. "Try not to bring the house down in shambles. Come, Eiji, I shall show you where you can wash up." She glided past her sons, Eiji walking somewhat awkwardly behind her, taking one last glance at the brothers.

"Wow," breathed Tatsuo, looking up at Tsutomu and Tsuyoshi, "does that mean he stays here _forever_?"

"I don't know, Tatsu-chan," Tsuyoshi murmured. Tsutomu merely stared after Mother and Eiji.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **GLOSSARY**
> 
> _itadakimasu_ \- thank you for the food  
> _zori_ \- sandals


	5. Eiji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsutomu reflects on Eiji's bad habit.

He stares at me. It's annoying. It's flattering.

I don't understand it.

It annoys me because there is a constant prickling sensation at the back of my head. As if Mother's pincushion was inverted and permanently stuck there. It flatters me because nobody has ever bestowed such vast amounts of their attention to me.

I don't like it. It's unnatural.

It's so utterly...Eiji.


	6. The Walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fujita brothers encounter a strange group of people.

"May I take a walk?"

"Hm, yes," Mother said distractedly, focused on clearing the dishes. He glanced at Father; Father nodded without looking up from the newspaper.

"Can I go too?" Tsuyoshi and Tatsuo piped up at the same time. He scowled at them; Tsuyoshi merely grinned at him impertinently. Brat.

"Mm," Mother murmurred before heading towards the kitchen.

"You three." Father's voice made all three brothers pause. "Be back in an hour."

"Yes, Father," Tsutomu called out before heading towards the _engawa_. He quickly slipped on his sandals before heading towards the gate. "Well, then. Let's go."

"Oi! Wait up!" said Tsuyoshi, awkwardly alternating between jogging and trying to put on his sandals.

"Aw, Yoshi-nii, you're so slow!" Tatsuo laughingly called out as he skipped outside the gate.

"Feh! C'mere, you brat!" Tsuyoshi yelled, finally able to wear his sandals properly. Tatsuo promptly shrieked and tried to hide behind his other brother.

Tsutomu dodged Tatsuo and swatted Tsuyoshi on the head. "Will you two stop acting like children?" he asked, irritated.

"_Aniki_!" Tsuyoshi yelped.

"But, Tsu-nii, we _are_ children!" Tatsuo peered up at his brother owlishly, ignoring Tsuyoshi.

"Why did I get stuck with you idiots?" Tsutomu muttered, smacking his forehead in disgust. He started walking away from their house.

"Eh? What was that?" said Tsuyoshi indignantly, still rubbing the spot where Tsutomu hit him. His brother's swat had _hurt_. Nonetheless, he started to follow Tsutomu.

Tsutomu rolled his eyes. "Nothing," he sighed. "Let's go before our hour's up."

"Okay!" Tatsuo's eyes lit up. "Let's go to Fukuzawa-san's stall! I want some sweets!"

"Did you bring any money?"

Tatsuo's good mood deflated. "Well...no," he said, looking at his older brothers expectantly.

Tsuyoshi shook his head adamantly. "No way! I bought you sweets _last_ time!"

"Tsu-niiiiiii," Tatsuo whined, looking at his eldest brother pleadingly.

"No."

"Awwww, why not?"

"Because."

"'Because' what?"

"Just because."

"What do you mean, 'just because'?"

"Just because." Did Tatsuo imagine it, or was there annoyance in Tsutomu's voice? Maybe with a bit more whining and...

"Why not? I wanna eat sweets! Sweets, sweets, sweets, SWEETS!"

"No." There was definitely annoyance there. Now, _just_ a bit more...

"Why not? Whywhywhywhywhywhy - URK! Tsuyoshi!" Tatsuo wailed. He completely forgot about his other brother! "Leggo!"

"If you don't shut your trap, I'm gonna do it for ya!" Tsuyoshi snarled before letting up his grip on the scruff of Tatsuo's neck.

"I am surrounded by idiots," Tsutomu sighed before he was ran into by a blur of yellow and green.

"Eh!" Tsuyoshi and Tatsuo exclaimed at the same time.

Tsutomu tumbled to the ground. "Hey! Watch where you're going, you twerp!" Tsutomu snarled as he pushed a boy away from him.

"Watch where _I'm_ going? Why won't you keep your eyes on the road so that you wouldn't trip on other people, you creepy-eyed freak!" the boy yelled back.

"Maybe if you weren't so scrawny, twerp, I wouldn't have missed you," snorted Tsutomu, dusting himself off as he stood up. He assessed the boy who ran into him. The brat had spiky hair and was wearing a worn yellow gi and green hakama; he looked around Tsuyoshi's age.

"Maybe if you weren't such a bumbling oaf, I wouldn't have run into ya!" the boy retorted.

"Hmph." Tsutomu rolled his eyes. No, he wouldn't respond to whatever the spiky-haired brat threw at him; he wouldn't sink to the street-rat's level. He started to saunter off.

The other Fujita brothers looked at the boy curiously for a moment before following Tsutomu.

"Hey! Where d'ya think _you're_ goin'?" The twerp actually had the nerve to follow them! The brat was either incredibly stupid, or he didn't have anything else to do tonight. Tsutomu thoughts inclined towards the former.

"Away from you."

"Nobody turns his back to Myoujin Yahiko! No-one!"

"Well, maybe except me," Tsutomu drawled, unimpressed. "And my brothers," he added as an afterthought. This kid was delusional. There was no question about it.

"Why, you-"

"**YAHIKO!**" thundered a voice that bespoke of doom. The twerp twiched nervously.

"Ne, Yahiko-chan, what d'ya think you're doin', picking fights like that, huh?" asked a tall, white-clad man with spiky brown hair and a red bandana on his forehead. Tsuyoshi was strongly reminded of a rooster.

"**DON'T CALL ME _CHAN_!**" This Yahiko actually jumped at the man and _gnawed_ at his hair! Tsutomu recoiled in disgust.

Tsutomu was still staring at the scene before a voice interrupted his thoughts. "Good evening; I'm Kamiya Kaoru. I'm sorry if Yahiko bothered you," said a young woman. She bowed apologetically. "He tends to be a bit too proud of himself sometimes."

"Er." Tsutomu blinked. He wasn't used to talking to girls his age, much less girls _older_ than him! "Well, it's no bother," he muttered, looking away. He tried to pretend that he wasn't blushing. "He acts just like my brother Tsuyoshi anyway," Tsutomu added.

"Eh!" squawked Tsuyoshi. "I don't act like that twerp!" He started to jump his older brother before Tatsuo stopped him.

"Ne, stop it, Yoshi-nii! We need to get back home anyways! Right, Tsu-nii?" Tatsuo shot a pleading glance at Tsutomu.

"Yeah, right," Tsutomu muttered, looking down. "Well, keep safe then," he said to Kamiya-san's shoulder before walking past her.

"Keep safe!" she called out to the Fujita brothers before turning to Yahiko.

"Good night!" Tatsuo chirped back and sniggered at the sight of the young woman berating the wayward boy.

"What're you sniggering for?" asked Tsuyoshi annoyedly.

"Just look!"

Tsutomu glanced back and noticed a red-haired man watching him and his brothers. Strange that he didn't notice the man at first; the red hair ought to make the man stand out, at least.

Oh well. They probably wouldn't see those people again, anyway. So why bother wondering about them?

The brothers walked on silently, not uttering a word for a few blocks before the silence was broken by Tatsuo.

"Those people are strange."

"Oh? Why do you say that?" Tsutomu murmurred, flicking off dirt from his gi absent-mindedly.

"Well, Kamiya-san was wearing a gi and hakama. _Then_ the red-haired man that was with them-"

"Red-haired man? What red-haired man?" Tsuyoshi demanded.

"Tsuyoshi, your powers of observation are astounding; a six-year-old's surpasses them."

"Shut up."

"Anyway!" Tatsuo tugged at both his brothers' gi to get their attention. "The red-haired man had a sword with him. Father said that that was illegal! And that boy was strange too, because he was yelling at Tsu-nii one moment and then chewing at that rooster-head's hair the next!"

"You know, Tatsuo, you're getting too smart for a six-year-old," Tsuyoshi drawled.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh! And do you know what they do to geniuses like you?" Tatsuo was hanging on to every word he was saying. "They send them off to America!"

"Eh? Me, go to America? But...but...I'm too young to go away from home!" Tatsuo wailed.

"Tatsuo, stop wailing. You're not going to be carted off to another country. Tsuyoshi, just shut up," said Tsutomu irritatedly.

The Fujita brothers were silent then, the three of them trudging off to the river.

Tatsuo promptly laid down on the ground once they reached their usual spot on the riverside. His brothers followed him at a more sedate pace.

They lay or sat in silence for a while before Tsuyoshi smirked. "Ne, aniki."

"What?"

"Why were you blushing when Kamiya-san talked to you?"

Tsutomu blinked. "Me, blush?" He snorted. "I did no such thing!"

"Sure, sure, whatever you say, brother." Tsuyoshi's smirk grew wider. "But I still saw you blush."

"Did not."

"Did too. And nothing you say will change that fact."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

Tatsuo sat up and yelled at the top of his lungs: "TSU-NII HAS A **CRRUUUUUSSSSHH**!" He giggled loudly.

Tsutomu bonked him on the head. "Shut up!"

"**TSU-NII IS IN LOOOOOOVVVEE!**"

"HEY, I said, **SHUT UP**!"

"Tatsuo, you better hide before _aniki_ decides to skin you alive," advised Tsuyoshi.

Tatsuo's gales of laughter was his only reply before his youngest brother started scampering home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Glossary:**
> 
> _aniki_ \- older brother  
> _engawa_ \- porch  
> _-nii_ \- short for _onii-san_, which is another word for older brother


End file.
